Chapter Eleven
Elsa awoke with a sense of disorientation. She pushed herself into a sitting position on her bed and looked around. It took only a moment to recognize the tavern room, and to remember their expedition being attacked by some monster. She absently rubbed her head. There was something else that wasn't what she expected… something that was missing… She stopped rubbing her head, but left her hand resting on her skull.
Her head no longer hurt. Cautiously lowering her hand, she began stretching out and folding each limb in steady movements. Her body no longer hurt, either. There was a lingering soreness in many muscles, especially across her back and upper arms, but none of the blinding pains she vaguely remembered.
There was a plate of fresh bread by her bed, including one half-eaten loaf. She had no recollection of eating it, nor of anyone else eating it. She did have vague memories of waking to see Kristoff watching over her. The memory made her smile. Elsa had always been pleased with how happy Kristoff and Anna were together, but for the first time she was happy for herself to be gaining such a caring brother-to-be.
More thoughts cleared, and she became aware of the dim light creeping through the window. The delicate hue made her think it was just before dawn. She nodded to herself, glad to be back to a normal waking schedule. Back at the castle, she always tried to be up with the servants in order to prepare herself for the day ahead. Being awake and alert when dignitaries and court advisers were still yawning had proven to be very beneficial. She also liked the quiet and strange sense of other-wordly solitude that filled the halls.
That same sensation seemed to saturate the tavern's air. She clambered out of bed to find her traveling leathers. A cautious sniff proved they had been recently washed and folded with herbs for scent. Elsa blinked, wondering who had thought to do that. With a shrug, she proceeded to get herself dressed. Vague memories of a large burly woman – the innkeeper's wife? - assisting her before made her cheeks heat. She was used to a servant's assistance in order to fit into court clothes, but her pride twitched at the idea of being so weak a stranger had to help her into simpler fare.
Once dressed, she crept down the stairs. It was a glorious thing to walk without fearing the world tilting under her feat, or her stomach attempting to flee via her throat. At the base of the steps, she paused to listen. Yes, there were sounds coming from the kitchen. Smells, too, for she could scent baking bread and the first hint of some fried meat. No one lingered in the common room area. Not ready to face strangers, Elsa eased her way through the common room and out the door.
She had to look around to locate the stables. If any of the men were about, they were likely to be there. She also wanted to check on Sven, Snofonn, and the rest of the horses. Identifying a likely nearby building, she absently shooed shin-deep snow from her path. The smell of the stable reached her before sight of the interior did, the pungency cutting under the winter cold. Poking her head inside, she could see many horses lift their heads. A set of antlers could be seen further back.
Smiling, Elsa stepped quietly into the stable. She walked down the central aisle, quietly greeting the different horses. They appeared to be two to a stall, cramped but not unhappy, all but three horses that had stalls to themselves. That made her frown a bit. She counted twelve of the original soldiers' fifteen horses. There was no sign of Captain Beorne's steady Krokus, and her own Snofonn had a stall to himself. that was a lot of horses for a village stable to suddenly house. She stopped to stroke Snofonn's velvet muzzle before turning to Sven's stall.
Kristoff was leaning over the door, watching her. When she saw him, he smiled, waved, and moved further into the stall. Elsa came to the door, leaning over it to pet Sven's muzzle in greeting and watching as Kristoff continued brushing the reindeer. It seemed the reindeer wasn't forced to share his stall with an equine – a wise choice, perhaps, with those wide antlers.
"I didn't know you were an early riser," she commented in a low voice. Snofonn snorted quietly, hearing her. She clucked to him, then looked back to Kristoff.
"Part of the job," he chuckled just as quietly, pausing to pluck at his mountaineer leathers.
Elsa shook her head. "I should have realized that," she said, then added, "thank you."
Kristoff paused in the brushing, confused. "Thank you? For not realizing, what, that I get up early?"
"No," she chuckled. "For taking care of me. I… don't remember much. But I remember you there. So… thank you."
"Oh," the mountaineer grunted, then shrugged, "It was nothing. You're like family to me. Granted, one I don't know very well, but… yeh. Family."
She gave him a gentle smile, one she normally reserved for Anna. "Before, I had only thought of you joining our family," she spoke honestly, "but now… I'm honored to be a part of your family." While the flustered man tended to his reindeer, she looked around. "We… seem to be missing some horses. And where are the men? Where's Captain Beorne?"
From the corner of her eye she saw Kristoff pause, then resume brushing Sven. The reindeer snorted at the increased vigor of the strokes. Kristoff made himself ease up before answering, "Captain Beorne's riding with his three remaining men to do an early search and patrol. Those are the missing horses. He's not hoping for much, but he says it's better than sitting idle, and it keeps the horses from getting too cramped from sharing stalls."
Elsa's head snapped back to face Kristoff. She felt a protesting twinge in her neck, but no reoccurence of vicious pain. "Three remaining men?" she echoed.
The mountaineer sighed. "We lost twelve men. Well, not dead-lost, but missing-lost. You made an ice wall to protect us from the one… thing… but then another one attacked us from behind. You got knocked out first, then both of them were on us. Next thing any of us knew, we – you, me, Beorne, and his three remaining men - were waking up at this tavern, apparently having been somehow dumped by the door. Not long after, all the horses showed up. We think Sven rounded them up." He paused to affectionately stroke Sven's neck. The reindeer happily leaned into the touch. After a moment, Kristoff continued, "Captain Beorne made arrangements with the innkeeper, and we've been here since, searching for the rest of us and waiting for you to recover."
"Recover… just how long was I out? I remember vague things, but…," she paused, running a hand over her hair. For the first time she realized it was unbraided and tumbled about her shoulders. It took only a moment's thought for her ice magic to weave her hair back into the more manageable braid.
Kristoff stared a moment at her hair, then shook himself. "You'd wake up off and on, even talk to us or come downstairs to each something, but you wouldn't last long. As far as we can tell, this is the third morning since we were attacked."
"Third!" Elsa exclaimed, then narrowed her eyes as something else caught her attention. "This… is sounding rather rehearsed. Have… have you had to tell me all this before?"
The mountaineer gave a reluctant nod. "A few times. Not unusual with strong blows to the head," he hastily reassured, "and every time you've awoken, you've remembered a bit more on your own."
"But not the missing men. Our missing men."
Kristoff shrugged. "You probably didn't want to remember. I know it's kind of a shock to me, still." Judging from the gray tinge that touched his skin, it was a bit more than a shock.
Elsa shook her head. "No excuse, not for me. As a Queen, I have a responsibility to their lives, just as they serve to guard me. I will not forget this time."
"Ease up on yourself. You've already given permission to Captain Beorne to leave two of his men here to continue searching after we leave," the mountaineer smiled gently. "Several times, in fact. With strict instructions. Pretty much every time you woke up and we told you."
Sven bounced over and before Elsa could react, stretched his neck over the stall door to gave her an encouraging slurp.
"Sven!" Kristoff yelped, then relaxed as he heard Elsa's laughter.
"Easy, Sven," Elsa happily gasped, unsuccessfully seeking to dodge a second slurp. She didn't bother to step away from the stall door, just buried her hands in Sven's thick coat and tried to guide him away from her face. "Hahah, that's enough, thank you!"
The reindeer backed off enough to let Elsa breathe. He lipped her arm, then stretched out his neck with a happy sigh as she began to gently scratch the dense undercoat. For a moment the three of them simply stood there in the pre-dawn quiet, letting the natural silence fill the space like a comforting blanket.
"You're not afraid," Kristoff noted, his deep voice quiet enough to ease its way into the silence rather than breaking it.
"Hmm?" Elsa had been lost in the simple sensation of Sven's fur, warmth, and obvious pleasure in such a simple gesture as a scratching.
The mountaineer nodded to his reindeer. "You're not afraid to touch animals, I've noticed."
The pleasure vanished, though she kept her hands on Sven's neck. The reindeer looked at her and snorted in obvious worry. She petted his head in apology. To Kristoff, she said, "It's… easier to touch an animal. There's no confusion, no… expectation. I know exactly what they're about, and they've no fear of me, or..."
"Or your powers?" he finished when she hesitated overlong.
Elsa nodded.
"Makes sense," he grunted. When she gave him a surprised look, he shrugged. "Hey, it's not like I've got any great trust in humans. Raised by rock trolls, remember? About the only humans I really trust are Anna… and, well, now you. Anyone else… well, it doesn't hurt to be nice, but no reason to get real friendly, either." His solemn expression suddenly gave way to a grin. "Guess we've both got Anna to thank for keeping us familiar with human contact, huh?"
A chuckle bubbled in Elsa's throat. "I guess so," she said.
Kristoff suddenly jerked upright, snapping his fingers. The sudden movement startled Sven, causing the reindeer to jerk his head upright with a snort. Elsa felt the familiar chill on her skin, but she kept the snowflakes from appearing. She made herself look at Kristoff instead, giving him a chance to explain his quick movement.
"I just remembered! Beorne asked that if you woke up and seemed, ah, stable enough, to get you to go ahead and write up a letter for the messenger to carry!"
Elsa blinked. "Messenger?" she echoed, but before Kristoff could respond, she remembered. "Oh! That's right, there's a villager willing to take someone on a swift route to the village, yes?"
Kristoff gave her a very relieved nod. "Yep, your memory's coming back! And yeh, Beorne figured you might want to write Anna. He even gave me…." The mountaineer paused, turning away to rummage in a pack tucked in the corner of the stall. "Ah! Here we go, parchment and paper and… uh, this stone thing and another stone thing and a black stick and a pen and… a ball of… what is this… wax?"
"For giving the message a royal seal," Elsa smiled, "makes it more difficult to fake a message."
"Why would anyone… oh. Yeh, kingdom and all, I guess." He shook his head, then handed the bundle to Elsa. "Well, Beorne'll probably be back in an hour or so. He usually gets back right after sunrise, so we can all breakfast. Usually they start up on chores then while Sven and I make our own rounds, but he may want to head on out once he knows you're doing so much better. He's been anxious to get you back to the castle."
"The man certainly has a challenging job, keeping the Queen of Arendelle safe," Elsa sighed. Hefting the writing bundle, she said, "Thank you for this. It will probably take me an hour to compose a letter, so I'm going back to my room. If Captain Beorne arrives before I emerge, fetch me would you?"
"Sure thing," Kristoff nodded, leaning on the stall door. Sven settled his head next to him.
"Thank you. Again. For everything." She reached out and stroked Sven's head. On an impulse, she then reached over and petted Kristoff's head before the mountaineer could react. Laughing gently, she walked out of the stable. Catching the innkeeper in the tavern, she coaxed him into giving her a candle, match, and earthen mug of water with a promise to honor the tab Captain Beorne started.
Upstairs, she mixed the ink stick in the stone bowl with a little water. Dipping the quill into the ink, she began to write. It took a few tries before she was able to compose a letter to her satisfaction. It was her inclination to not mention the head injury at all, or the severity of their losses. She had hurt Anna so much in the past, the idea of causing her sister even more concern made her feel ill. Only by reminding herself that omission of the truth might cause greater harm did Elsa commit the words to paper. She described the odd lack of control over the snow storm, the snow monster itself, the loss of men, her own head injury, and their overall recovery. She described how they would be following the messenger, but due to potential lingering effects as well as guiding extra horses, they may be some days behind him.
She did not write how the lack of response from the snow frightened her, but she suspected Anna would infer that anyway. As would she probably realize how severe the head injury had been because of how little Elsa wrote about it.
Still, better than not saying anything at all. At least this way Anna would know what to expect.
Elsa was warming the wax with the candle when there was a knock at her door. Hearing Kristoff's voice through the wood, she called out, "I'll be down in a moment!" She heard his heavy footsteps leaving and was somewhat troubled that she had not heard his approach. Wax dripped onto parchment, gaining her attention. She moved the candle away then picked up the stone stamp with the royal seal. A quick press to the wax, and the letter was folded and sealed for delivery.
Coming downstairs, she nodded as Beorne and his three men stood to greet her. Her mouth twitched in a slight smile when she saw Kristoff merely wave. She handed Beorne the letter, which he immediately handed to one of his men. Not until she gestured did they all take a seat again. This time she slid next to Captain Beorne, as his three men lined one side of the booth table while Kristoff leaned against the wall on the same side as the Captain. It struck her as odd that the three soldiers seems to have no concerns about accidentally bumping shoulders and elbows. It took a moment longer for her to realize that she sat carefully contained as to not accidentally bump the Captain, while Captain Beorne and Kristoff seemed to be leaning slightly away from each other.
Not much of importance was discussed until after most of their breakfast was put away. About halfway through, the villager meant to accompany the one soldier showed up. At their invitation, the villager pulled up a chair and joined in the food. He happily chattered about the best paths from the village to the castle, often pausing to answer pertinent questions from Kristoff or to repeat certain facts for Captain Beorne. Once breakfast was done, the single soldier and the village guide took their leave. They were taking three horses and enough provisions to get them to the castle. The guide stated it would take approximately two or three days to get there, four if the weather turned foul.
"Don't you fear attack from the snowbeasts?" Captain Beorne asked.
The villager shook his head. "Nah, sir. Them beasts and storms usually concern themselves w'merchants and their like. You're in more danger than I, with how big yer party is and such. You get hold of the Storm Crow? That'un be a good guarantee of safety, I'll warrant."
"No," growled Captain Beorne. He stroked his mustache, not quite meeting anyone's eyes. "We met her briefly, but she left. I had intended to… detain her. Learn more. But..." the Captain paused, his gaze flicking to Elsa. "I'm afraid I let a poor first impression get the better of me."
The villager flapped a hand. "Eh, it happens. Storm Crow's a prickly one. Well, maybe you'll luck into a second chance. Until then… best ye can do is if you see the snow fallin' more thick, don't wait. Find a place to hunker down and hide. Mayhap they won't find you then."
The Captain frowned. "Do you think the beasts that intelligent, then? Are they perhaps trained to seek certain… prey?"
"Who knows?" the villager shrugged. "We just know they hit mostly merchants. Sometimes those of us that hafta travel between villages, but only when we're in large groups."
Kristoff shook his head. "That doesn't match the hunting style of any predator I know, at least. Predators always go for stragglers, or for prey that's weakened somehow."
"Trained, then," grunted the Captain. "That would explain why not a one of us has a single bite or claw mark upon us, or even our horses."
"But who would train such monsters," spoke up Elsa in her more royal tone, inquiring and demanding at the same time. "And to what purpose? It sounds to me like someone wants to deliberately disrupt Arendelle's land trade routes and weaken us. And where are the missing people? Dead or alive, there must be some trace of them somewhere."
"All questions that we need answers to… and currently do not have the resources for," sighed Captain Beorne. "We must get back to the castle to resupply and rethink our strategy." He nodded to the soldier and villager. "With your permission, your Highness?"
Queen Elsa gave a gracious nod to the two men. "Yes, be on your way with all haste… all safe haste. Messages will do no good if not delivered, but I would rather you two be hale and whole whenever you reach your destination." She stood when they stood, and startled them by giving each a deep bow. "You serve Arendelle well, gentlemen. You have my thanks. Stay at the castle a bit, and when I arrive I shall do my best to compensate you for your journey. Princess Anna or Steward Kai will make sure you are housed comfortably."
Both men stumbled through giving thanks and nearly bolted for the door as they tried to flee their own flabbergasted awkwardness.
She then turned to the remaining two men. "And to you two… I'm sure your Captain has informed you, but we'll be leaving you with sufficient funds to not trouble these villages overmuch. Yours will be a difficult and possibly heartbreaking job, but as your Captain has faith in you, so do I have faith n you. I thank you for the search you are undertaking… both on behalf of our missing men, and on behalf of ourselves, for our worry over them."
The two soldiers stared at her, then looked to their Captain. He just smiled at them, saying, "Go on. Get yourself some rest. We won't be ready to go for another hour perhaps, if you wish to see us off. If you are weary, however, then sleep. You'll need to be awake and alert for the afternoon search and patrol."
"Yes, sir!" both of the men barked. They stood to go, pausing to give a deep bow of respect to their Queen. She bowed in return, then gestured to the stairwell. Without any further words or gestures, the two soldiers darted up the stairs.
"Well," sighed Captain Beorne. He blew air between his lips, causing his mustache to fluff. "That just leaves us."
Queen Elsa straightened her shoulders a bit. "It does indeed. I'll go back to my room to pack. It shouldn't take long, I don't recall much being up there."
"There are a few things in my room… makeshift maps and such," Captain Beorne said, "I'll fetch those, then tally up with the innkeeper."
"And since all my stuff is still in the stable," interjected Kristoff, "I'll just head down that way to make sure Sven and some of the horses are ok. I'll wait for you down there." Without waiting for a reply, he edged Captain Beorne off the bench so he could stand. One stretch later, and he ambled his way to the door and the stable beyond.
Captain Beorne's mustache bristled, then lay flat as he exhaled noisily. Turning to Elsa, he inquired, "Do you need assistance getting to the top of the stairwell, Your Highness?"
Elsa shook her head and smiled gently at the worried Captain. "I am in much better spirits than before, Captain Beorne. Be at ease. I still perhaps should not overexert myself… but I trust you and Kristoff will alert me before it becomes too dangerous."
"I will, at least, my Queen," the Captain answered.
They reached the top hallway and separated to clear their rooms. Elsa had her few things together in very short order, so she headed towards the stable. The snow was much more disturbed, probably from four horses riding in and four men walking out. She ducked into the warmer, more pungent air.
"Kristoff?" she called.
"Yo!" he answered, leaning over Sven's stall door.
"I've a favor to ask," she said after a moment's hesitation.
"Name it!" he responded easily. Sven's head appeared next to him, slobbering happily. Without looking, Kristoff began to scratch one of Sven's ears.
"Show me how to pack my horse?" she requested. The question came out casually enough, but her chest was tight from actually asking for help. "I learned a great deal on how to ride a horse, but very little on tacking one up, much less packing one."
"Oh, sure, that's no problem!" he said. In short order he was describing to Elsa some of the fundamentals of packing a horse. By the time Captain Beorne came into the stable, she was ready to leave. Kristoff also had Sven ready to go, and was working on packing some of the other horses.
The Captain blinked a few times, then blew on his mustache. "Well, it looks as though we are about ready. My Qu…. Your Highness. I would ask that we leave four horses for my two men. Enough horses to spell each other. I've made arrangements with the innkeeper, and he is amenable to continue hosting them, men and horses alike."
Elsa chuckled dryly. "I do not doubt his amenity is due to royal coins waved under his nose. That and I imagine his business has been slow as of late."
"No doubt," the Captain tactfully agreed. He finished packing his own Krokus, and moved to those horses Kristoff had not yet reached.
They were soon on their way. The messenger-soldier and his village guide had left clear tracks in the deep snow.
"Well with this to guide us, at least we shouldn't need that Storm Crow," Kristoff commented as Sven pranced in the snow, causing the mountaineer to sway back and forth as he rode.
"I still would rather have detained her," grumbled Captain Beorne, barely moving as he and Krokus expertly navigated the snow-laden trail. "The villagers seemed entirely too convinced of her connection to the storms and the beasts. And I still wonder what she was about, prowling around our horses."
"We cannot mourn on lost chances, Captain," Queen Elsa gently chided. She eased her flighty Snofonn past a winter-heavy tree that cast odd shadows upon the ground. "As it is, we know more than we did, if less than we need."
"True, but still..."
"Be at peace, Captain," ordered Queen Elsa. "We need your attention on the here and now-must-do, rather than back then on the might-have-done."
"Yes, your Highness" he said with a respectful nod.
Their good luck with the trail did not hold long. Snow began to fall slow and thick about them. Elsa felt a moment of panic, but realized the snowfall brushed aside with a mere nudge of her magic. She couldn't keep the snow from mingling on the ground, however, resulting in total obscurement of the trail. Snofonn also became increasingly flighty, as the thick snowfall made the world alien and strange to the castle-raised horse.
"This is no good," Kristoff called. His strong voice cut through the thick snow. "We've lost the trail, and with this cloud cover I can't see the sun."
Captain Beorne pulled Krokus to a halt, causing the horses he led to bump into each other's haunches. He squinted at the land about them in frustration. "Is there nothing you can see, mountaineer?" he called.
"Kristoff," he corrected, then looked around. "I see what seems a campsite nearby… at least, I'm thinking it's a campfire. Snow's bright, makes it tricky."
"Our man?" Queen Elsa wondered aloud, suddenly worried.
"Perhaps," growled the Captain, "but if so, then something went wrong. They should still be riding strong and well ahead of us. Where do you see the light, mount-Kristoff?"
"That way," Kristoff gestured with a mittened hand. "Between the grouping of three trees."
"They all seem the same," Captain Beorne muttered, but he twisted his head to sight the same general direction as Kristoff's pointing hand. "Stay here, the both of you," he ordered as he slid from Krokus. His boots sank into the snow with a crunch.
Queen Elsa tried not to smile. "I appreciate the gesture, Captain, but I think all three of us must approach this one." She gestured, causing the snow to firm under Beorne's feet and raise him up. As soon as he was in a position to mount his horse again, he did so with only a slightly grey face. Elsa sighed. As accepting as he was of her magic, its touch seemed to trouble him as deeply as many others.
Together they approached the light, which did prove to be a campfire. Elsa would have thought the person hiding in such a thick stand of trees, but for the fact the person sat openly near the bright flames. She looked about, seeing the three trees Kristoff had mentioned. They flanked the campsite like guards. Looking back to the person perched on a log by the campfire, Elsa gasped.
It was the same woman from the inn. She looked up as they approached. Firelight caught her eyes, turning the brown briefly amber. Without any sign of unease, she looked back down to her stick. Two bits of meat were neatly skewered on it. She thrust the meat into the flames.
"If yer headin' for yer castle, yer already headin' astray," the woman said. She pointed to a direction almost perpendicular to them. "That's the best way, though there's a bit of a crevasse what's opened up about a day's travel from here. Be careful ye don't fall in." At that she looked up, baring even white teeth in a what was supposed to be smile but appeared to be more of a grimace.
"Storm Crow," Captain Beorne started.
The woman interrupted, "Told you, I don't like that name."
"Feilan," Queen Elsa gently said. The woman turned her sharp gaze to the young Queen but said nothing.
Kristoff sat back on Sven. "Hey, Feilan… thought any about being our guide?"
Feilan snorted. "You're a mountaineer. You guide'em."
"I don't know the way well enough," he shrugged with candor. "North Mountain, yes. Eastern mountains, not so much."
The young woman stared at Kristoff a few moments, then darted her gaze to Elsa. "You're magic," she stated. While Elsa was still trying to decide how best to answer that, Feilan stood. She plucked one of the piece of meat from her stick. While chewing it, she gave a muffled "Might as well." She began kicking snow over the campfire. The winter air filled with the protesting sizzle of extinguishing flames.
"You will of course be well compensated for your assistance," Queen Elsa spoke.
"Ain't got no use for coins," grunted Feilan. She plucked the second piece of meat from the stick and popped it into her mouth. The stick she threw to one side. Still chewing, she reached down to seize a large pack that had been tucked behind the snow laden log.
"Then what will be your required payment?" Captain Beorne spoke up.
Feilan settled the pack on her back, then shrugged. "I dunno. Entertainment?" Without further comment, she began walking through the snow.
The three riders glanced to each other. Kristoff was the one who leaned forward and called, "We do have spare mounts, if you'd rather ride."
Without slowing her steps, Feilan called back, "I'd ruther walk."
This time the three riders traded shrugs. With a series of clucks, they set to follow their strange new guide, their riderless horses trailing behind by linked reins.